Video Game / Rising Storm

Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm, better known simply as Rising Storm is the standalone Expansion Pack for Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad. It was released in May 2013. Unlike the base game, this expansion is set in the World War II's Pacific Theater, with the US Army and Marines as the playable Allied factions and the forces of the Japanese Empire as the Axis faction respectively. While many of the gameplay elements are retained from the original game, Rising Storm has some notable differences, such as more asymmetrical gameplay, with the Americans having more access to automatic and semi-automatic weaponry, while the Japanese rely more on Zerg Rush tactics, ambushes, and booby traps.

Received a sequel, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, set during The Vietnam War.

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This video game provides examples of:

• America Won World War II: In contrast to the first two Red Orchestra games, this game depicts the battles of the United States Army and Marine Corps against the Japanese.
• Anachronism Stew: Mostly averted, as the maps made by the Rising Storm Team and Tripwire are reasonably accurate to the actual locations they're based on. However, there are some noteworthy cases.
  • Zig-Zagged Trope for Guadalcanal, a map set in 1942. While the US Marine faction there only has access to the Springfield and BAR for their Rifleman and Machine-gunner classes ^note  The US Army was receiving Garands due to priority of their demand over the Marines, while the M1919A6 LMG would not be introduced until late 1943 , the American planes depicted on Henderson Field are shown to be F6F Hellcats, an aircraft type that wouldn't enter frontline service until 1943. In addition the uniforms of the Marines are shown to be the ones they wore from 1943 onward, rather than their 1942-issued uniform which bore similarity to the ones worn by the Army. And finally, the M2 Flamethrower, a weapon not introduced until late 1943, is made available for the Flamethrower class, rather than the more appropriate M1A1 Flamethrower.
  • Otori Shima, a community created map later added into the official map roster, is rife with this. The map is listed to take place in December 1941, and is partly based on the Battle of Wake Island. However, the Marines, like on Guadalcanal, are shown wearing the wrong uniforms and using the wrong equipment for the time period. And unlike the former, they get access to the Garand, Carbine, and M1919A6, weapons that had yet to be introduced to the Marines, and in the last ones case, be manufactured. Not to mention the fact that the airfield on the map, once again, shows F6F Hellcats, except this time they hadn't even been built yet (the first Hellcats were made in mid-1942).
• And This Is for...:
  That was for Pearl Harbor!
  Manila no fukushu ja! (Revenge for Manila!)
• Artifact Title: Averted. While the game is considered part of the franchise, it doesn't have "Red Orchestra" in the title at all because it's set in the Pacific theater.
• Artistic License – Geography: Otori Shima, a map based on Wake Island. However, the island itself resembles Cape Gloucester more than it actually resembles Wake, in particular the heavy rainfall and dense jungle.
• Artistic License – History: The Otori Shima map, which is partially based on the Battle of Wake Island, has IJA soldiers attacking the Marines. In reality, the Japanese troops that assaulted Wake were members of the IJN SNLF, or Japanese Marines (the same Japanese troops featured on Betio). In addition, the Marines are shown using the wrong weapons, uniforms, and even planes for late 1941, and would have been more appropriate for late 1943 at best.
• Asymmetric Multiplayer: The American and Japanese factions receive different classes, weapons, and even encourage differing tactics and approaches. Most notably, the Americans have unlimited access to semi-automatic M1 Garands as compared to the Japanese bolt-action Arisaka. The Americans also have exclusive access to the Flamethrower class. Japanese players in return have access to mobile 'knee mortars' and are greatly more effective when charging into melee.
• Battle Cry: The Japanese have a very notable one, which, interestingly enough, gives them a buff:
  MINAGOROSHI DAAAAAAAAAA!!!
  BANZAAAAAAAIIIIIII!!!
• Battle in the Rain: The map Otori Shima takes place during a heavy downpour.
• Bayonet Ya: The Arisaka rifles get bayonets by default, while the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, Springfield, Type 96 and Type 99 Light Machine Guns, and Type 100 Submachine-gun have bayonets as unlockable attachments that are received upon being sufficiently leveled. For the Springfield and Garand, they can either be equipped with the World War II-era M1 Bayonet or the longer M1905 Bayonet, while the M1 Carbine gets the M4 Bayonet.
• Bilingual Bonus: Played straight by default in Rising Storm. Unlike Heroes of Stalingrad, where both the Soviets and Germans relied on Translation Convention, the Japanese here speak their native tongue.
• Booby Trap: A gameplay mechanic for the Japanese allows them to plant their hand grenades into the ground, allowing them to act like landmines and kill any unsuspecting Americans advancing through the map.
• Bottomless Magazines: Averted with the hand-carried weapons, which will run out of ammo unless you make it to a resupply container, or in the case of machine-gunners, get resupplied by teammates. Played with, however, by the M1917 Browning and Type 92 Heavy Machine gun. While they do run out of ammo and have to be reloaded in the midst of battle, their ammo reserves are unlimited.
• Character Class System: While most of the classes from Heroes of Stalingrad are retained, a few new ones are added, in keeping with the asymmetric gameplay.
  • Flamethrower: US only class. Equipped with a heavy flamethrower and pistol, he is slow and the flames he uses are very visible with limited range (this is somewhat alleviated with later ranks letting the class carry a carbine rifle instead of a pistol). Hard to use around anywhere open on account of this, but potentially incredibly effective on both offense and defense in close-quarters with his flamethrower bringing down his unfortunate enemies nigh instantly.
  • Light Mortar: Japanese only class. Rifleman loadout, but carries a knee mortar that can be used for direct and in-direct fire. Effective at medium-long ranges, bombarding enemies whose weapons usually make it difficult for his team from having any chance in a straight shoot-out.
  • Automatic Rifleman: US only, replacing Assault. This class is basically Elite Assault from the base game that use the Browning Automatic Rifle (a lighter, slower-firing machine gun with a smaller magazine that can fire automatically without being set-up) and a pistol, but lack the ability to choose an SMG (the Thompson, which can only be chosen if you're Squad Leader).
• Charged Attack: Carrying over from the base game, the Japanese suppress better if done simultaneously with nearby allies while letting the chargers ignore some damage that otherwise would kill them. On the other hand, the Americans have no faction-specific benefit to charging.
• Concealment Equals Cover: Averted here. Much like Heroes of Stalingrad, bullets can and will penetrate cover, especially if it's thin or weak cover such as plywood.
• Death from Above: Much like Heroes of Stalingrad, commanders can call in mortar, artillery and rocket fire missions on positions marked by themselves or allied squad leaders - proper use of these are vital to attacking and defending alike, obliterating enemies hit by them and strongly suppressing the survivors close by. The Japanese team also has a Light Mortar class which includes a small mortar for the class to direct-fire or over an arc onto a location.
• Determinator: Enough Japanese players performing a Banzai Charge together render its participants more resistant to damage, which gets further enhanced with even more players.
• Easter Egg: Statues of Stalin from Heroes of Stalingrad can be found hidden around maps.
• Elites Are More Glamorous: Zig-Zagged Trope here, depending on which units are depicted on each map.
  • The Betio map plays this straight, as it features exclusively elite American and Japanese units in the form of the US Marines and the Imperial Japanese Navy Special Landing Forces, aka the Japanese Marines.
  • Averted entirely on Kwajalein and Phosphate Plant, where the US Army's 7th and 81st Infantry Divisions fight against elements of the regular Imperial Japanese Army.
• The Engineer: A limited class exclusive to the US Army and Marines, armed with an M1 Carbine and carrying a Satchel Charge by default.
• Equipment Upgrade: After leveling them to Levels 25 and 50, respectively, certain weapons will receive upgrades that allow them to work more efficiently, ranging from extra clips or magazines, to full-on upgrades such as improved sniper scopes or larger magazines.
• Expansion Pack: A standalone one for Heroes of Stalingrad. Of special note is that, should one purchase Rising Storm on Steam, they also receive a copy of the former for free.
• Fire-Breathing Weapon: The M2 Flamethrower, used exclusively by the Americans. Unlike most weapons, this one is a guaranteed One-Hit Kill should the flames make contact with an enemy. It's useful for both attack and defense, as it can wipe out enemies hiding in bunkers or trenches, as well as large numbers of advancing enemies bunched together.
• Flamethrower Backfire: Averted. Unlike most other games, shooting a flamethrower operator will not cause his fuel tank to detonate, instead simply causing him to either bleed to death or drop dead altogether.
• Game Mod:
  • The game itself started out as an officially made one for Heroes of Stalingrad, before being made into a standalone expansion.
  • Heroes of The West is a community-made mod for Rising Storm that takes the action into the Western European theater, pitting the US forces against the German Wehrmacht. It also introduces a new faction, the British, complete with new weapons for them.
• Grenade Launcher: The Type 89 Grenade Launcher for the Japanese, also known as the "knee mortar", is a weapon exclusive to their Light Mortar class. As the name implies, it can launch Type 91 high explosive grenades at enemy positions, to devastating effect.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: One achievement requires an American soldier or Marine to pick up a katana from a dead Japanese soldier, and then kill another katana-wielding Japanese with the picked-up sword.
• Hold the Line: The Territory game mode is this in a nutshell, with one side holding certain points on a map, while the other attacks these points.
• Improvised Weapon: Type 97 grenades used by the Japanese can be used as improvised landmines, which can be devastating especially when the former are on the defensive.
• Island Base: Many of the islands the maps are set in have fully operational Japanese or American airbases, complete with parked aircraft. And one of the later objectives that is to be taken is usually the headquarters for the defending faction.
• Iwo Jima Pose: Allied players are treated to the image of the Trope Maker upon defeating the Japanese in a full match of the Territory game mode.
• Joke Weapon: The Nambu Type 14. It lacks stopping power, is pretty inaccurate except at close range, and cannot kill an enemy in one hit except maybe for a lucky shot to the head. There's even an achievement for actually killing someone with it.
• Jumping on a Grenade: Actually a mechanic here - going prone over a grenade before it blows up can save your allies around you...at the cost of your life, of course.
• Jungle Warfare: The majority of in-game maps involve the Americans fighting the Japanese in thick jungles located in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.
• Just Plane Wrong: The F6F Hellcat, a US Navy aircraft based on carriers operating in the Pacific, is seen on the USAAF base on Kobura, a map located somewhere in mainland Southeast Asia (heavily implied to be Burma). More appropriate choices of aircraft would have been the P-40 Warhawk, P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt or P-51 Mustang, which did see service in the CBI Theater during the time.
• Katanas Are Just Better: Officers of the Japanese have a katana they can use as a melee weapon - to give the trope what it expects, it has the bonus of better inspiring the participants of a Banzai Charge to resist more damage and intimidating enemies to suppress them more severely.
• Kill It with Fire: The Americans have access to the M2 Flamethrower, which can kill enemies in one burst of flame provided they're in range. They're especially effective in flushing out enemy bunkers when attacking, or stopping a Banzai charge dead in its tracks during a defense.
• Man on Fire: The end result of being on the receiving end of the M2 Flamethrower, friendly or enemy.
• Mobile Shrubbery: Some maps have Japanese character models with leaf camouflage over their uniforms, which help them to blend in the thick jungles of Southeast Asia.
• Nicknaming the Enemy: The Americans often refer to the Japanese as Japs, Nips and Tojos.
• Poirot Speak: Averted. The non-English side only speaks Japanese, except for the announcer who speaks English with a heavy accent.
• Politically Correct History: Averted. All American character models are white men, and both sides call their enemy derogatory names.
• Punch-Packing Pistol: The M1911a1 pistol. Compared to the Nambu, it hits much harder, and is more accurate at short to medium range. On a map like Guadalcanal where M1 Garands aren't available, it can even do a better job at holding back enemies than the Springfield rifle!
• Rousing Speech: Both the Americans and Japanese give short motivational speeches at the start of each round.
• Satchel Charge: The US M37 Satchel Charge is a pickup weapon left behind on US ammo supply crates, which can be wielded by both United States and Japanese troops to destroy certain objectives such as artillery gun positions, or kill a large number of enemies.
• Scenery Gorn: Most of the maps feature lush jungle environments interspersed with the occasional Booby Trap, shell damage, pillbox, with several abandoned vehicles and destroyed buildings scattered throughout. On some maps such as Peleliu and Iwo Jima, vegetation has been razed entirely thanks to American shelling, leaving lifeless husks for the Americans and Japanese to fight on.
• Semper Fi: The US Marines are one of two playable Allied factions. The 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Marines divisions are the focus of the Guadalcanal, Betio, Saipan, Peleliu, Otori Shima, and Iwo Jima maps.
• Sequel Escalation: Heroes of Stalingrad mainly had maps set in and around the titular Russian city, and that game's Territory mode was restricted to locations in and around there. Here, maps are set throughout the vast Pacific and CBI Theaters, with the expansion's Territory mode reflecting this by having locations scattered from the South and Central Pacific to all the way into Southern Japan.
• Shout-Out: Quite a few to other works set during the Pacific War.
  • The F6F Hellcats being on Henderson Field may be a reference to the John Wayne film Flying Leathernecks, which also had Hellcats based on the same airfield.
  • The general layout of the Otori Shima map, despite being partially based on Wake Island, is more similar to how Cape Gloucester was depicted in The Pacific, complete with incessant rainfall, thick jungles, little to no lighting, and Marines being on the defensive while the Japanese try to take their positions and camps.
  • The Level 50 Colt M1911 looks similar to the one owned by General Kuribayashi◊ in Letters from Iwo Jima.
• Smoke Out: Squad Leaders and Commanders have access to smoke grenades, which can be used to conceal advancing or retreating troops.
• Sniper Rifle: The Americans and Japanese have access to sniper variants of the Springfield and Arisaka.
  • The Americans start out with the M1903A4, which has a subpar scope, that can later be upgraded to the much better M1903A1 sniper variant, which has a far more powerful scope.
  • The Japanese, meanwhile, have access to two different sniper rifles, the Type 97, chambered in 6.5mm, and the Type 99, chambered in 7.7mm. Much like their base variants, the former is more accurate at the cost of stopping power, with the latter being vice versa.
• Sprint Meter: Carrying over from Heroes of Stalingrad.When it's low, it also becomes difficult to aim steadily. You can also hold the sprint button while standing still to hold your breath, steadying your aim, and provides a slight zoom.
• Storming the Beaches: The maps set in the South and Central Pacific islands have the Americans spawn from the beaches, having to fight their way inland as Japanese troops try to repel them with machine-guns, rifles, and mortars.
• Suicide Attack: A game mechanic for the Japanese - being killed by your own grenade will not cause your team to lose a ticket as long as the grenade killed at least one enemy.
• Tank Goodness: Averted. Unlike Heroes of Stalingrad, where tanks can be driven, tanks make no appearances outside of being setpieces on maps.
• Urban Warfare: In contrast to the other maps found in the game, Saipan has US Marines fighting Japanese Army soldiers in the village of Garapan, rather than in the jungle or on a base.
• Video Game Flamethrowers Suck: Averted Trope here - while its short-range is a certainly noticeable drawback and it only carries one tank of ammunition, the weapon is nearly unstoppable within that range by nigh-instantly killing any targets hit by its flames, the flames' area of effect allows success with less precise shooting than other weapons to give the user an easier time shooting first before enemies, and the fuel tank is fairly deep considering its impressive killing power which will make it unlikely you'll run out in a desperate close-up fight with careful bursts. There is simply no better weapon to be used on an enemy's flank in close-quarters, clearing a tight room... or stopping a Banzai charge cold (or rather not very cold at all).
• Violation of Common Sense: Unlike the Germans in Heroes of Stalingrad, American and Japanese machine-gunners change their overheated machine gun's barrels with their bare hands. They don't flinch at all when removing the smoking-hot barrels from the guns, and this changing allows them to continue firing for much longer.
• War Is Hell: Much like the base game, the expansion opts for a Show, Don't Tell approach instead of outright saying it, this series never flinches from the fact that combat was often short, terrifying and brutal. Rising Storm goes further with soldiers often twitching or writhing in pain from mortal wounds, and the screams, whimpers and gurgles of dying men's last moments echoing through the battlefield.
• Zerg Rush: Banzai charges. Interestingly, thanks to the Asymmetric Multiplayer system, the game heavily encourages players on the Japanese side to do this.